1889 W. H. Whitney / Simon F. Mackie Map of Salt Lake City, Utah

This is the rare 1889 W. H. Whitney and Simon F. Mackie map of Salt Lake City, Utah. The map illustrates the early days of Salt Lake City as a stop on the Rio Grande Western Railway. This is one of Whitney's earliest maps of western cities, predating his contract with the Union Pacific. It combines the functions of a real estate map and a railroad map. An inset in the upper left offers an overview of the general area.

A Closer Look

The map documents the development of Salt Lake City since its founding forty years prior. At this point, most development is confined to the east bank of the Jordan River. The city is platted into blocks and building lots noted, as well as public parks, Temple Block, Warm Springs Bath House, Fort Douglas Reservation, race track, penitentiary, etc.

Denver Rio Grande Railroad

The Denver Rio Grande (DRG) was founded in 1870 by William Jackson Palmer (1836 - 1909). The proposed route was to proceed south from Denver an estimated 875 miles (1,408 km) to El Paso via Pueblo, the west along the Arkansas River, then through the San Luis Valley of Colorado toward the Rio Grande. Construction began in earnest, leading to a rivalry with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Legal arguments turned into the wild west style Colorado Railroad War (1877 - 1880), with both sides leveraging corrupt politicians and gangs of gunslingers to defend their claims. Federal courts decided on behalf of the Denver and Rio Grande, ending the war between the railroads, although the entrenched gunslingers in Pueblo (Bat Masterson and his gang), continued to fight, well, everyone.

In the 1880s a Utah division spun off, building a narrow gage line to connect Salt Lake City with Grand Junction. In 1888, to raise money for upgrades, Palmer incorporated the Salt Lake - Ogden like as a new railroad, the Rio Grande Western. Since narrow gage tracks were laid in the early 1880s, the main goal was to widen the gage to connect more seamlessly with the existing DRG network. Funds raids, the RGW was consolidated with the DRG in 1889. Construction between November 1889 and June 1890 completed the upgrade.

These lines and others under the DRG banner fell into the hands of railroad tycoon George Jay Gould (1864 - 1923) in 1900-1901. Under Gould they formed the foundation of a transcontinental route, the Western Pacific. Conflict with the Union Pacific eventually pushed the railroad into financial hardship, but it nonetheless continued to operate through the 20th century. In 1996 it was finally acquired by the Union Pacific and remains in operation.

W. H. Whitney Maps

Between 1889 and 1890, W. H. Whitney issued a series of separate-issue large-scale pocket maps of western cities serviced by the first the Denver Rio Grande, then the Rio Grande Western, then, the Union Pacific and Northern Pacific Railroads. These include Salt Lake City, Portland, Seattle, Astoria, Spokane, Port Townsend, Bellingham Bay, and Tacoma. There are potentially others. They are the work of various surveyors, civil engineers, military surveyors, railroad engineers, and local land offices, compiled locally then sent to Philadelphia for engraving and printing. Most were engraved by Louis Humphrey Everts, some in partnership with 'Howell', as 'Everts and Howell'. The maps universally bear the distinctive logos of either the Rio Grande Western or the Union Pacific 'Overland Route', suggesting that the railroads at least partially financed their production. They were further designed to bear local advertising, which varies from example to example. The maps also, universally, bear the copyright of 'W. H. Whitney', filed in Washington D.C. While we cannot be certain, we believe this may be the Boston civil engineer William Henry Whitney, who, after 1888, owned a private civil engineering, surveying, and mapmaking firm in Boston. While Whitney may not have considered the maps important, they are today one of his most significant legacies. Individually and collectively, they represent some of the earliest obtainable maps of their respective subjects, marking them as important historical records of the urbanization of the Pacific Northwest. Today, all such maps are extremely scarce.

Publication History and Census

The map was compiled by the civil engineer Simon F. Mackie and published in 1889 by W. H. Whitney on behalf of the Rio Grande Western Railway. It was printed in Philadelphia by Louis Humphrey Everts, as 'Everts and Howell'. This is one of just 3 maps Whitney issued for the Denver Rio Grande Western Railway, the others being of Trinidad and Pueblo, Colorado, dated 1888. Rare by all accounts. OCLC notes an example at Brigham Young University. We are aware of an additional example at the Library of Congress, and two instances of the map on the private market in the last 30 years.